ABOUT THE COUNCIL

• Homelessness is unacceptable.
• Every person has the right to adequate food, housing, clothing and health care.
• All people have the right to participate in the decisions affecting their lives.
• Contemporary homelessness is the product of conscious social and economic policy decisions that have retreated from a commitment to insuring basic life necessities for all people.
• The struggle to end homelessness and alleviate its consequences takes many forms, including efforts to insure adequate housing, health care, and access to meaningful work.

The mission of the Council is to help bring about reform of the health care system to best serve the needs of people who are homeless, to work in alliance with others whose broader purpose is to eliminate homelessness, and to provide support to Council members.

• Advocate for universal health care and for the improvement of current systems intended to serve people who are poor and homeless;
• Research critical issues;
• Train and organize health care providers, service agencies, and homeless people themselves to improve care;
• Publish newsletters, monographs, action alerts, policy statements, training videos and books; and
• Collaborate with a broad range of public and private entities interested in the problems of health care and homelessness.

• Organizational Membership Agencies that share the National Council’s mission may apply for Organizational Membership. Modest annual dues are assessed on a sliding scale based on the amount of the agency’s HCH or Respite Care budget, or are determined on an individual basis for other types of organizations. For new Organizational Members, an introductory rate of $500 is charged for the first year. Organizational Members appoint a Representative to take part in two annual Membership meetings and to participate in the Council’s active Committee structure. Organizational Members receive a 25% discount on Council publications. Please click here to apply for Organizational Membership.

• HCH Clinicians' Network Individuals providing hands-on care to homeless persons are invited to join the HCH Clinicians’ Network, a component of the National Council that is focused on clinical practice and the needs of individual clinicians. You may join or renew your membership online.

• Respite Care Providers Network Persons interested in Respite Care are invited to join RCPN and become Individual Members of the National Council by clicking here. Agencies providing Respite Care for homeless persons are especially encouraged to become Organizational Members of the National Council.

• National Consumer Advisory Board Homeless and formerly homeless persons who have received services from an HCH project are encouraged to become members of the National Consumer Advisory Board. NCAB members are Individual Members of the National Council, and NCAB’s elected Executive Committee is a Standing Committee of the National Council. No dues are required to be part of NCAB’s membership. To join NCAB, please click here

• Practical, day-to-day assistance from professional staff and peers in the field.
• Personal support in their difficult, sometimes isolating work.
• Ways to advocate for a progressive policy agenda that seeks equal access to quality health care for all persons.
• Opportunities to participate in the leadership and the day-to-day work of a unique national organization that is grounded in work with homeless people.
• A place to develop new approaches that make a difference in HCH practice and in the lives of homeless persons, such as Respite Care, Consumer Advisory Boards, and the Health Disparities Collaboratives.
• Solid information about national developments that affect their work.
• Training events and publications that are responsive to their unique needs.
• Recognition as involved leaders in the field.